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Madhouse at the End of the Earth
- The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
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Madhouse at the End of the Earth
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
The harrowing survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly wrong, with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless Antarctic winter.
August 1897: the Belgica set sail, eager to become the first scientific expedition to reach the white wilderness of the South Pole. But the ship soon became stuck fast in the ice of the Bellinghausen sea, condemning the ship's crew to overwintering in Antarctica and months of endless polar night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness, their minds ravaged by the sound of dozens of rats teeming in the hold, they descended into madness.
In this epic tale, Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure gone horribly awry. As the crew teetered on the brink, the captain increasingly relied on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity - Dr Frederick Cook, the wild American whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, who later raced Captain Scott to the South Pole. Together, Cook and Amundsen would plan a last-ditch, desperate escape from the ice - one that would either etch their names into history or doom them to a terrible fate in the frozen ocean.
Drawing on firsthand crew diaries and journals, and exclusive access to the ship's logbook, the result is equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror. This is an unforgettable journey into the deep.
Critic reviews
"An unforgettable tale brilliantly told." (Scott Anderson)
"It grips from first sentence to last." (Lawrence Osborne)
"The next great contribution to polar literature." (Hampton Sides)
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What listeners say about Madhouse at the End of the Earth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pete
- 07-05-23
Fascinating Antarctic adventure…
I really loved this book - a great, well-researched and insightful account of the journey of the Belgica. Informative and a gripping story, would wholeheartedly recommend, thank-you 👍
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Miss H S Connolly
- 21-04-22
Beyond excellent!
I’ve loved everything about this fantastic book.. so well written.
I was there in the peril and terror of that frozen world with the men.
I recommend it if you have an adventurous mind …
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Xavier Smith
- 01-09-22
Inspirational
What a book! It took some time, but it’s definitely worth the read! Fantastic bit of work
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Michael G.
- 20-08-22
Riveting story
I did not know about the Belgica but I do now! A great story. Highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J
- 03-11-21
A true adventure story
This is an incredible story, as exciting and gripping as any fictional adventure story. The story of the Belgian Antartic Expedition encompasses breathtaking incompetence, amazing heroism, appalling hardship and larger than life characters - including some well known in the history of polar exploration. I cannot understand why the story isn't better known. It would make an amazing film. Only two quibbles. The first is that the narrator has a very idiosyncratic way of pronouncing certain proper names and place names, which grated and confused me a little. The second is the lack of maps and illustrations. This is of course always a problem with audio books, but some do come with pdfs with this information. I assume that the print edition of the book has maps and I would have found these really helpful to understand the route of the Belgica
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Callum b.
- 14-05-23
A decent read
I have noted that there are some criticisms about the narrator, but to be honest with you, you do get used to him. The story is a fascinating read, with adventure all the way through. Seldom does it become boring. Well worth it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- sara o'malley
- 01-10-21
Inspirational
Epic! Wonderfully read. Don’t miss it!!
A beautifully written story informed with great sensitivity to people , time and place.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Fred
- 12-01-22
Not as good as the Endurance book
The book lacks the storytelling of the Endurance story. Narration wasn't as good either.
Obviously, an amazing story nonetheless.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Laura-Jane
- 20-01-22
Absolutely fascinating!
I could not put this book down! Incredible true story of horror, hope and the fierce power of human endurance
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Norma Miles
- 21-09-22
"The champagne was chilled to perfection."
This is the story of another intrepid sea voyage into the icy worlds, this time of Antarctica, and the grim reality of trying to survive months of fear, darkness, cold and failing health aboard the ship, Belgica, trapped securely in the ice.
The personalities and hopes of several of the main protagonists are explored, the diaries kept by the men throughout the voyage being the main sources It is truly remarkable, beautifully written and a surprisingly uplifting book as well as being a remarkable insight into some of the adventurers. There is a chapter included of what happened next to some of the survivors, all young men at the start of the voyage and, in the paperback a selected bibliography, sadly missing from the audio. Also not included with the audio are a few photographs taken on the voyage and a short Q and A interview with the author. There is, however, a very interesting Author's note on sources and further reading, and footnotes which appear in the text are seamlessly incorporated in the audio reading.
The narration is by Vikas Adam, who is simply superb. From the very beginning, his pleasant voice grabs and holds the reader as the tale unfolds, without histrionics but infused with gentle emotion. An excellent performance given with intimacy, clarity, good timing and beautifully modulated - such a pleasure to hear.The
A definite recommendation not only to readers who enjoy tales of disasters in the ice at either end of the earth, but for those also who are interested in psychology, stunning scenery as well as recounting of recent times now gone
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